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Yes, their shipping sucks, but I have to give props to Dover

I have been pretty critical of Dover in the past, because of their ridiculous shipping prices. But I have a Dover retail store relatively close to me, and it is nice for things that require trying on a lot of styles/sizes of things, like helmets, gloves and boots, and they have some good sales on items that are barn staples.

Anyway, I bought a pair of Ariat Monaco boots from the Dover retail store 9 months ago. I haven't worn them that often, and I take good care of them, which was obvious by their over all excellent condition. I noticed on Sunday when cleaning them after a ride that the stitching on the left toe cap was coming undone. Bummer!

As per Ariat's website instructions, I brought the boots back to Dover, with my receipt, so that they could send them back to Ariat for me for repair. That is what I asked the sales person to do. She asked me to wait while she checked with her manager, came back a minute later, and said the manager told her just to replace them with a new pair.

So thanks Dover. It's nice to know that you stand behind the products you sell. And that you were willing to go beyond what I asked of you to make sure I was happy with my purchase.

Now I just need to break in new boots - can't say I am looking forward to that.

Riding a horse is not a gentle hobby, to be picked up and laid down like a game of solitaire. It is a grand passion.... ~ Emerson

I have never had a problem either. Though the shipping IS pretty ridiculous. I live within an hour of two of their retail locations, so I tend to just stop in when I'm nearby and pick things out in person.

I just stopped at their store in Plaistow NH last week, returning home from Maine. It was late, just a half hour before closing. I rummaged around and picked up a few things. Checking out 5 minutes before closing, they asked if I found everything. Kind of wistfully thinking out loud, I said 'yes', but that it would have been great if I had arrived earlier to possibly try on helmets. The manager behind the counter told me it was fine, let's go do it, and she and another accompanied me downstairs, where I went through at least a half dozen helmets, but couldn't find one that fit well. They must have stayed an extra 15 minutes with me. I felt bad that I didn't buy the helmet, but they were also particular about whether or not it fit right.

I've been avoiding Dover for awhile, as most of my ordering is online, but their customer service was above and beyond. You can bet I'll be returning again next time I'm up in that neck of the woods.

Oh, and I got some great deals there as well! Several goodies for presents. And my Irish Wolfhound has a new lavender fleece dog coat, XXXL for $15! Love having a "girl" color as everyone who comments on her, comments on "him".

Dover has moved way up on my list.

But he thought, "This procession has got to go on." So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noblemen held high the train that wasn't there at all. H.C.Anderson

I love Dover

Wish I could buy more from them too but really don't need much. I ordered a dog blanket from them, just the lightweight Rider's turnout one for rainy days, as a windbreak, and to fit over a sweater for cooler weather. As I was on line I was also checking out all the different dog blankets they had. Some said to measure from back of neck to butt and others were to be measured from center of chest to end of butt or something like that.

Well I measured one way and should have measured the other way. It amounted to a size difference. I got it, put it on the dog and realized it was way too small as I wanted it to cover her butt which the one I got didn't.

I called Customer Service and, still not realizing I had screwed up the measurement, told them it wasn't the right size so they sent me another one. It came in the same as the original. I called back and the woman I talked to the 2nd time realized I had taken the wrong measurement. I remeasured, called back, and they sent the correct size.

All this time I kept the first blanket as I needed it as a raincoat, sent back the 2nd one, and when the 3rd one came, I washed the first one in Rambo Wash, and sent it back. There was no additonal shipping costs for me and the gals in Customer Service could not have been nicer.

Sue

I'm not saying let's go kill all the stupid people...I'm just saying let's remove all the warning labels and let the problem sort itself out.

With the Dover store now about an hour from where I live, I'd rather go there than order via online anyday. It's a nice drive to a lovely section of Georgia and the ladies that work there are wonderful. Very helpful, yet don't lurk like vultures.

And AMEN/DITTO on the Tent Sales.

<>< Sorrow Looks Back. Worry Looks Around. Faith Looks Up! -- Being negative only makes a difficult journey more difficult. You may be given a cactus, but you don't have to sit on it.

We've been doing Christmas shopping online with them recently (the ex-huzbin & I) and have had a time getting all these different codes to come up correctly...I've only got about 5 different sale catalogs. Anyway - Ex-Huzbin placed his order - it arrived yesterday completely correct. My order - according to the FedEx site - won't be here until Tuesday. We'll see. My last ordering experience from Dover was marred by Sandy (we think) so it likely wasn't their fault.

While we have a couple of tack shops locally, they usually don't have what I want/need. They just can't afford to carry an inventory of everything and hope it sells. I hear we are getting a Dover in Raleigh sometime soon...while I love to shop local in all things...I must confess to being pretty excited about a big tack shop.

I really like the sales that they have and the coupon deals, but got a little cranky about customer service the other night. I saw the "twelve days of Xmas" deal on Middleburg boots for $99 one day too late, as I was ordering that day's deal of a couple baby pads. I was bummed because I have been wanting a pair of Middleburgs to replace my aging and slightly too small ones. So I called customer service explaining that I had missed the sale by a day, was making another order, really wanted to get the Middleburgs and already had a pair and loved them, and asked if they might be able to offer me the sale price. She refused--just "No, sorry, you missed the sale." I said, okay, I'll just get the saddle pads then, thanks, and hung up. Went to grab the latest catalog to put in the priority/catalog numbers, and see an ad at the back for Middleburg boots for $99 THROUGH DECEMBER 9TH. So, she could have just given me the dang boots for $99... don't know if she just refused because she wanted to refuse, or if she didn't know about the other coupon, but either way it almost cost them a sale.

Agreed!

I have to agree that while their shipping is horrendous, I do love their customer service.

Twice now they've put in requests for me to see if they had shortie items and they have (They outdid smartpak on that! )

However the best was when I had won from their contests the "dare to be dublins" (y'know the bright red ones). Well I sent in my sizes but when I got the set.... the gaiters were too big. I could literally grab about half an inch of puckering in the front when I put them on. I contacted them and after a few days they got back to me saying "Dublin doesn't make them in your size, and I haven't found another set of equal quality/price. What would you like to do?"

I asked them if I could get a gift certificate instead and send the boots back and they agreed! So I got myself a pair of my very first tall boots, gloves, and eventing vest! (The store ladies were awesome as I went through 5 brands before finding a Mountain Horse boot that fit) =) I would order from them more frequently as I'm not nearby a store if it wasn't for their shipping....

Telling a worrier to relax is counterproductive. Then we worry about relaxing.

I don't think it has opened yet...off to do some researching. A few months ago we were shopping for a dressage saddle for my daughter and only 1 shop in the Triangle came up - M & M. I've been out of the loop so long I was shocked to hear Triangle Horse Sports had closed. LOVED that store.

ETA - apparently YES they did open. Our saddle shopping must've predated it by a few weeks!! FIELD TRIP & just in time for a few Xmas items!!

It's funny, because every time I deal with Dover, I end up thinking it's almost like the retail stores and the mail order business are two completely different companies. For the most part, I've had great service in the store (though I have found that the more money it looks like you're going to spend, the more helpful they are; in general, if you ask, they're very good.).

The mail order side, OTOH, is a nightmare. Different prices for the same item (and 99.999% of the time, a search will bring up the most expensive price for the item, imagine that. If you want the sale price, you'd better have the catalog with the item number for the lower price on hand, or you're SOL), item misrepresented in the photo (had that happen with a helmet once; it was pictured with a lovely harness, and when it came, it had a different harness with one of those dial knobs on it), shipping stupidly expensive and ridiculously slow. Heaven forbid you ever have to return or exchange something. Customer service for the most part nowhere near the level of the retail stores.

How can one company be so good in one area of their business and fail so massively in the other?

Agree. Never had any real issues with their products, etc. Customer service is fine. But their shipping prices are nuts. Their return process takes forever. As does their shipping to me. I always request UPS ground instead of the Fed Ex SmartPost which goes through your post office. It's written in my account but they still mess up from time to time.

So I only go to them when I can't find it at SmartPak, local shop and a few other websites. Have to admit, they are not ever first on my "go to" list.

The one major plus I do have with them is their online chat. Have never had to wait to get someone on there. SmartPak is usually busy/offline 90% of the time. That gets VERY frustrating when you can't call, etc.

I'm lovin' the 12 Days of Dover or whatever it's called ... darn I've wanted a new Mountain Horse winter coat for ages but wouldn't let myself splurge, and just a few weeks ago got a new Carhartt at Southern States to serve the same purpose (and it's a great coat), but then the MH was one of the 12 Days specials the other day for only $99. I didn't let myself get one, though, due to the Carhartt purchase. Sigh.

A selection of gloves was on special the first or second day; today's deal is one style and color of Rambo. Fun stuff.

PS: Yes, their online chat is very good. I inquired on the dimensions of a quarter sheet and in minutes the rep came back with overall dimensions, distance from front edge to "cutout" for rider, size of the "cutout," distance from back edge of cutout to back edge of sheet, distance of overhang on either side. I was wowed. I was really only expecting some total dimension or something and I could've drawn the thing with what I was given.

I'm a longtime fan and really ought to get the Dover Visa to take knock out the shipping charges. I still tend to go to Smartpak for supplements, though, even if Dover has the same item.

If thou hast a sorrow, tell it not to the arrow, tell it to thy saddlebow, and ride on, singing. -- King Alfred the Great

Agree. Never had any real issues with their products, etc. Customer service is fine. But their shipping prices are nuts. Their return process takes forever. As does their shipping to me.
.

Me, too. I guess the ridiculous shipping prices are to induce people to apply for their credit card? I wind up ordering from them because I don't have local tack stores and often they're the only company with an item I need. But it's depressing to pay so much for shipping. When I ship stuff back, I decline to use their shipping label and pay about half to send back whatever they sent me.

I'm not ignoring the rules. I'm interpreting the rules. Tamal, The Great British Baking Show

Local theraputic riding group wanted to get new halters, the kind that are monogrammed with the horses' names on them. They called around and found that the prices were a bit higher than what they had to spend. One of their people called Dover, explained the situation, and Dover gave them a good break on the price of the best halter of that type.